Field
The presently disclosed brassiere relates to athletic clothing, and in particular, to a brassiere having a concealable shirt retaining band or loop for selectively retaining a gathered shirt sleeve at the wearer's shoulder.
Discussion of Related Art
Sleeved garments such as tee-shirts, shirts, and blouses (hereinafter referred to collectively as “shirts”) are common items of apparel. However, in some instances, the sleeves of such garments can interfere with the wearer's athletic activities and cause overheating. Shirt sleeves can interfere with the arm movement of the wearer and increase heat retention during indoor and outdoor athletic activities. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,239 to Donald Lewis discloses a sleeve holder in the form of an epaulet with a hook and loop (VELCRO™) on a loose end thereof. The hook and loop fastener is attachable to either the shoulder or to a matching fastener lower on the sleeve. By pulling up the sleeve and attaching the epaulet to the lower fastener, the sleeve can be retained in a drawn-up position. See, also U.S. Pat. No. 4,475,252 to Peyser. However, these mechanisms are suitable only for shirts on which epaulets are appropriate, and not athletic wear suitable for aerobic activity.
Also, by covering more skin surface, particularly the underarms, shirt sleeves can unduly cause overheating of the athlete. Women tend to suffer more from this problem insofar as brassieres, or bras, particularly sports bras such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,583,544 to Cherrie Flanagan et al., are commonly worn. The additional material of the brassiere adds to the wearer's heat retention.
These problems are particularly apparent in organized sports such as collegiate soccer, softball, and lacrosse, where the participants are required to wear sleeved outer garments to distinguish team members and due to puritan sensibilities. Female athletes often gather up the short sleeves of their outer athletic wear, which can prove irritating insofar as the sleeves tend to slip down the athlete's arms and have to be re-gathered.
These problems were largely alleviated by providing a brassiere with a shirt sleeve retaining loop, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,146,239 to Jennifer Magliocchetti. However, when the sleeve retaining loop is not engaged, it can be noticeable through the outer garment and might reduce the aesthetics of certain outfits.